Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Merely Ants

The Sword Fire in the Cyan Nether Old Lady’s eyes flared three feet high, and her formless black shadow roiled violently. Even the "Clayman," who was constantly shedding dust, stopped coughing. He craned his neck, his eyes wide with greed as he stared at the Dao Xu Yunfan was revealing.

This was an undisguised intent—the Dao of progress itself.

The most shaken of all was the Maiyi Old Taoist, who had remained silent in the corner.

He slowly raised his head, revealing a face covered in corpse spots. This Supreme Elder, a practitioner of the *Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting*, had refined himself into a "Living Dead" eighty years ago, sealing his five senses to delay his decay.

Now, from beneath his rotting eyelids, two lines of bloody tears actually trickled out.

"The root of the Martial Dao... is actually an Immortal Scripture."

The Maiyi Old Taoist’s voice sounded as if it were coming from a tomb. He tremblingly extended a finger like a withered branch.

The finger was covered in green fuzz, its nail bent like a hook, yet it now accurately tapped upon the Dao Pattern Xu Yunfan was displaying.

The instant the Turtle and Snake Dao Pattern made contact with the fuzzy green finger, it erupted in a blinding cyan light that instantly dissolved the nail.

The Maiyi Old Taoist instantly snatched his hand back. In that moment, he had already experienced the power of the coiled turtle and snake.

If the other party were to crush him with this thing, he would have no way to resist.

’How many years has it been since this old monster washed his hands?’ Xu Yunfan was screaming internally. ’That green fuzz has probably become a spirit of its own, right?’

On the surface, however, he remained respectful. "Senior has a discerning eye. The Martial Dao was indeed born from this scripture. Now, all of you have a method of continuation you can cultivate."

Speaking of which, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have killed those disciples from the Five Great Sects. It would have been better to place restrictions on them and have them at my command.’

’They were all prime material.’

The twelve old monsters exchanged glances in silence. Finally, the purple-robed old man covered in chains stepped forward. Amidst the CLANG of iron, every step he took left a black, bloody footprint on the ground.

"This old one... is willing to go."

Uttering just those few words caused him to vomit a large mouthful of foul, black blood.

But his murky eyes erupted with the glint of a starving wolf.

Xu Yunfan understood. These half-dead old geezers had all pushed the Martial Dao to its absolute limit.

In a sense, it was the Divine Martial Realm itself that had restricted their path forward.

Compared to the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, the Divine Martial Realm was just a minor world. To condense even one Fruit Position was already a difficult feat. Any more than that would simply become a Taotie’s feast for the great sects of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm.

They were now using all sorts of methods to barely hang on, waiting for that sliver of a chance to break through.

Now that Xu Yunfan had given them that chance, they naturally wouldn’t let it go.

Twelve auras, decaying yet immense, simultaneously locked onto Xu Yunfan. The pillars and beams of Qingwei Hall groaned as if under an unbearable weight, as though enduring some kind of pressure that transcended the mundane.

Bi Yuan looked at his disciple with a bitter smile and sent a telepathic message: "These martial uncles have all reached the end of their lifespans. Now that you’ve given them an opportunity, they’re naturally terrified you’ll run away... Though their temperaments are a bit strange, they have all pushed their own Martial Dao to the absolute pinnacle."

Xu Yunfan’s gaze swept over this group, the hidden foundation of the Taoist Sect, and he nodded slightly.

An old Taoist in a green robe sat withered in a corner, his fingertips lightly tapping his knee. Each tap coincided with some profound rhythm, actually leaving ripples of varying depths in the air—proof that he had integrated his life’s comprehension of the Martial Dao into his every move.

’Every action, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, is a form of Cultivation.’

Another fat old man seemed to be hiccuping, but in truth, every breath he took drew in the sparse Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him, converting it into flowing Thunder Fire Qi. Faintly, it seemed as though wind and thunder followed him, a clear sign that he had cultivated the Taoist Sect’s secret *Nine Heavens Thunder Gang True Skill* to the state of Returning to the True Self.

This was definitely a top-tier martial art, rumored to have been created by the Taoist Pure Yang Ancestor Master himself.

Xu Yunfan suddenly let out a laugh.

’These old monsters are certainly top-tier existences in the Divine Martial Realm, but by the standards of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm...’

’...a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can draw upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi with a single breath, and a Golden Core Daoist Master can move mountains and fill seas.’

’In comparison, these decaying old men, trapped in the Ninth Realm for hundreds of years, are nothing but ants who haven’t even touched the threshold of the Immortal Dao.’

"Then again, perhaps I’m overthinking it."

He flicked his finger, and a clear light of True Martial Sword Qi streaked across the hall. The twelve auras locked onto him immediately retreated like snow under a blazing sun.

’No matter how strange this group of old monsters is, they’ll eventually have their rough edges smoothed out by the rules of the Taihua Realm.’

’And what True Martial Peak needs is precisely this purity they possess—this drive to take the Martial Dao to its absolute limit.’

’These people will be my assets.’

"In three days, I will use a Boundary-Breaking Talisman to break through the boundary. None of you should be late. This opportunity won’t come again."

Xu Yunfan took a deep breath, and a wisp of the True Martial Qi Mechanism rippled from his body. In that instant, the twelve aged faces showed expressions of shock as the Qi Mechanism illuminated them.

The pupils of the purple-robed old man wrapped in chains suddenly contracted. The Blood Pill that had lain dormant in his body for many years actually trembled slightly under this aura, on the verge of disintegrating. It was as if he had encountered the suppression of a higher-level power, forcing him to guard his Heart and Spirit with all his might just to barely stabilize it.

The Sword Fire in the Cyan Nether Old Lady’s empty eye sockets pulsed violently. For the first time, her "Heart Eye," which perceived the world through Sword Intent, felt a piercing pain.

Sword Heart Clarity was strong, but it depended on who one was facing.

The Black Tortoise Illusion hovering behind Xu Yunfan actually caused the foundation of her Sword Dao, which she had painstakingly cultivated for 180 years, to waver.

The most stunned of all was the clay-husked old man. His dry, cracked skin flaked off, revealing the ashen-gray shock beneath. His Wu Earth True Qi, connected to the Earth Vein, now spontaneously prostrated itself as if a courtier meeting its sovereign.

Aside from Bi Yuan, the twelve trains of thought—filled with greed, shock, and hesitation—had just begun to arise when they were met with the wisp of Qi Mechanism rippling from Xu Yunfan.

ZING...

Amidst the clear ring of a sword, all stray thoughts dissipated like snow under a blazing sun.

These old monsters, who had lived to their limits, were instantly jolted to their senses. The person before them was no longer a junior who needed their guidance, but a true Foundation Establishment Daoist Master who had stepped onto the path of the Immortal Dao!

The purple-robed old man, or rather, Xuezhen, was the first to lower his head, his chains rattling. "This old one... will obey the Decree."

The twelve old monsters bowed their heads in unison, their withered bodies trembling slightly under the True Martial pressure.

Xu Yunfan’s expression was serene as his gaze swept like water over these Martial Dao titans who had once commanded the winds and clouds.

Which of these people was not a figure of breathtaking talent?

The purple-robed old man’s Daoist name was Xuezhen; a hundred years ago, he had subdued the world’s Five Great Sects with a single sword. In her youth, the Cyan Nether Old Lady had slaughtered so many that rivers of blood flowed through the Mortal World. Even that old monster covered in clay was once a ruthless character who could tear a Ninth Realm Demon Fiend apart with his bare hands.

But now...

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.

’Once they arrive in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, these rebellious old geezers will naturally understand.’

’The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi drawn by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in a single breath will be enough to eclipse the Martial Dao True Intent they’ve painstakingly cultivated for a hundred years;’

’A casually placed restriction will be able to suppress a so-called "Supreme Grandmaster," rendering them completely immobile;’

’If they were to meet a True Monarch Level existence, a single glance from that being would likely be enough to shatter these old monsters’ Dao Hearts.’

’But this is good, too.’

Xu Yunfan stood with his hands behind his back, the True Martial Sword humming softly in its sheath.

’What True Martial Peak needs is precisely these geniuses who have pushed the Martial Dao to its absolute limit.’

’After reality grinds down their rough edges, they will naturally become his sharpest swords.’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!